1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit card, and more particularly to an integrated circuit card having a memory. Information stored in this memory is erasable by ultraviolet rays. This integrated circuit card is for use in an electronic arrangement, such as a personal or hand-held computer, and a TV game machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An integrated circuit (IC) card consists of a compact, thin, inflexible card body typically measuring about 85.6 mm long, 54 mm wide, and 0.8-2.0 mm thick. An IC chip (semiconductor integrated circuit device) having desired functions is built into a rigid or semi-rigid card body made of plastic or reinforced cardboard, and numerous connecting terminals are arranged along an edge on the surface of the card.
When the card is inserted into a card receiving slot on a piece of electronic equipment such as a personal computer, hand-held computer, or a TV game machine, the terminals on the card are electrically connected to the associated terminals on the connectors of the electronic equipment, that is, the IC circuit on the card is connected to the circuitry in the electronic equipment so that information may be transferred between them.
Information carried on the IC chip can be erased by subjecting the IC chip to ultraviolet rays. Afterward, new information may be rewritten by means of an input head. However, until now, it has not been possible to erase information stored in the chip incorporated into the thickness of the IC card because of its structure and material. No IC cards that allow their integrated IC chips to be exposed to ultraviolet ray have existed before. Although exposure of the built-in chip by disassembly may allow ultraviolet radiation erasure, the card cannot actually be disassembled easily. If the card is partially disassembled, the IC card may often be damaged, because the printed circuit board with the IC chip installed is firmly fixed to the card body with adhesive.